Martin McGuinness
Mid Ulster · Sinn Féin · Northern Ireland
“It was noted that full sectoral audits had been carried out by Departments of the Executive and the Irish Government to identify impacts, risks, opportunities and contingencies that may arise following the UK's intended withdrawal from the EU.”
“<BR /> <BR />We welcome the establishment by Minister Heather Humphreys and Minister Chris Hazzard of an Ulster canal advisory forum, which met for the first time on 23 September 2016.”
“That is something that has never been previously asked. It is interesting that the Member has chosen to call for that. From our perspective, we will have a discussion.”
“We also have 220 people now employed at that centre. They are people of the highest specialisms imaginable in medicine. The dedication that they have to that centre is absolutely amazing.”
“The big decision that was taken by both Administrations at the North/South Ministerial Council meeting — by the Executive Office, the Department of the Taoiseach and the Department of Foreign Affairs — was to put a high-level working group of civil servants in place to deal with the challenges that clearly lie ahead.”
“<BR /> <BR />The oversight board led by Dick Spring and the interdepartmental group set up in both jurisdictions have worked hard to get us to this stage, and I can give assurances that our Executive will continue to give their support to ensure that we deliver the best bid possible.”
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“<BR /> <BR />In terms of how we move forward, we were criticised right, left and centre by the Ulster Unionist Party and the SDLP during the last Administration. We were effectively dealing with a situation where both parties wanted to have one foot in the Government and the other foot out, one foot in the boat and one foot on the bank. We know where that takes you. It takes you absolutely nowhere. <BR /> <BR />During Colum Eastwood's contribution, he correctly talked about the fact that, during the election, everybody in the House went out and talked to thousands of people and stakeholders about what they were offering up. Of course, that debate was had. There were television debates, and people had an opportunity to make judgements. They sent the DUP back into the House with 38 seats.”
“You raised an awful lot of issues during that concise contribution. The reality is, no matter how you dress it up, if there had been no Fresh Start Agreement — you were involved in the discussions that led up to it — direct rule Ministers would have been in here the following week, and you would not be sitting in the seat that you are in today. I would not and neither would the First Minister be in the positions that we are in today. Let us deal with the reality of what we had to deal with during the course of last year. If we had followed the SDLP position, there would have been no Assembly, there would have been no Executive, and the British Government would have had their fingers on the tiller here in the North. That is the reality.”
“I will tell you what the consequences would have been: direct rule Ministers would have been in here the next day imposing their water charges, removing the right to free prescriptions, removing the free travel for older people, and God knows what else.”
“<BR /> <BR />Emma Pengelly, from South Belfast, talked about the need to tackle poverty and growing our economy, and she quoted Muhammad Ali. All of us who grew up with Muhammad Ali not only believed he was a great boxer but absolutely believed that he was somebody who was totally in favour of equality, coming as he did from a community in the United States of America that had been treated despicably for a very long time. So, we remember him fondly today. <BR /> <BR />Claire Hanna talked about prickliness from the Government parties and talked about Fresh Start. She was proud that the SDLP was against Fresh Start, and not just against it but voted against it in the Executive. What would have been the consequences if we had voted against Fresh Start and if the DUP had not gone for Fresh Start?”
“Of course, many of the difficulties and problems around the Maze/Long Kesh site came from the fact that the Ulster Unionist Party lined up alongside the extremists within society who were opposed to the construction of the peace-building and conflict resolution centre on that site. <BR /> <BR />Linda Dillon, from Mid Ulster, talked about the need for environmental sustainability; how we deal with household waste; the need for good, high-quality jobs for rural dwellers; the importance of the agrifood industry as well as improving rural broadband to remove the inequalities that rural dwellers suffer from. She made a vital point, and that is the relationship of this Administration with the super-councils that are now 14 months old.”
“Phillip Logan, from North Antrim, mentioned the issue of jobs in Ballymena, and we all know that Ballymena, like many other areas, has been hit, but they have been hit very badly by job losses in recent times. <BR /> <BR />Jenny Palmer, from Lagan Valley, talked about infrastructure. She actually mentioned the words "vanity projects". Implicit in all that was that we need more roads east of the Bann and not so many west of the Bann. I do not accept that. Of course, the Ulster Unionist Party was in no way enthusiastic about the high-level North/South Ministerial Council project that was the construction of the A5. She made points in relation to the Balmoral show, which has been a huge success, and access routes to the show, all of which are legitimate remarks.”
“During the last term of the Assembly, the British Government cut ruthlessly into our block grant. There needs to be a reality check when people look at how we go forward, and not just in relation to a recognition of that issue. The words "motherhood and apple pie" have been used quite a number of times today, and I hope that, when people come forward with their ideas about how we improve life for our people, they will come forward with costed proposals on how we do it. It will be against the backdrop of recognising that we are still dealing with a ruthless Tory Administration in London that are still committed to austerity. It was important that John gave us that reality check.”
“She gave a very clear and correct explanation of her party's understanding of the process and what was clearly the disingenuous approach of the Ulster Unionists and the SDLP. <BR /> <BR />John O'Dowd gave us all a reality check, setting out the challenges facing our Departments for the next five years as a result of the austerity agenda pursued by the Tory Government in London. Is it not amazing to hear people talk about the lack of achievement from the Assembly and Executive in the last term? How many times did you hear the British Government mentioned during this debate by some of the most vehement critics of what we are trying to do? The Executive are described as right wing, anti-children, anti-education, anti-health and anti-everything when, in reality, the people who hold the purse strings are the British Government.”
“She went on to say that, for the first time, citizens will be at the centre of policymaking, Departments will have to work together to achieve policy objectives and there are important implications for the way the entire Civil Service will work. She said that, to that end, the NCB has been heavily involved in working with the Executive to help bring this shift in direction, which is delivering great results across the world, and that the NCB looks forward to aiding the Executive with their aim of effective delivery and to therefore secure improved outcomes for children, families and communities. <BR /> <BR />I thank Naomi Long for her support for the process. She took a very honourable approach on behalf of her party.”
“<BR /> <BR />Alex Attwood also said that people in the community are not happy about the approach that is being adopted. He certainly does not speak for Celine McStravick, who is the director of the National Children's Bureau for the North. She said that the NCB is delighted that the Northern Ireland Executive have adopted an outcomes-based approach with their Programme for Government. She went on to say that that is an extremely significant change in how government will work and, if operated correctly, will ensure that Programme for Government policies deliver tangible results for the benefit of all.”
“It was then that the warning bells rang in my head that, in all probability, the SDLP would not come into the Executive. Why did it not come into the Executive? For the same reasons that the Ulster Unionist Party did not come into the Executive: it did not get the result that it had hoped for. The SDLP came back to the Assembly with 12 Members and decided, like the Ulster Unionist Party, in an act of desperation, that, in order to change its political fortunes, not the fortunes of the people of the North of Ireland, it would absent itself from the Executive and go into opposition. That is the reality. Of course, the SDLP has hooked its wagon to a political party that, even though it held the Department for Regional Development, was totally and absolutely opposed to the construction of the A5. That is clearly on the public record.”
“I think that most of the people who came were note takers, and I do not think that any of the representatives uttered a single word during that conversation. We got that from the civil servants and from other political parties who attended the meetings. That clearly indicated something to me from a very early stage. I went so far as to ask for a meeting with the leader of the SDLP, well in advance of the election, to establish whether it was going to come into the Executive. He talked about how it would depend on the outcome of the discussions around the Programme for Government. We then had workshops, meetings and discussions, to which his party was invited, yet his party made little or no contribution to those discussions.”
“<BR /> <BR />Somebody said that there was no mention of victims in the context of what we are trying to do, but an important dimension to all this will be addressing the legacy of historical institutional abuse, the legacy of the past, the needs of victims and survivors and other issues associated with our past. All those will have to be tackled in the next term of this Administration. <BR /> <BR />Alex Attwood asked a number of questions about the approach for the Programme for Government framework. He described it as a hybrid document. The reality is that, since November 2015, the SDLP had representatives attending all the meetings that took place from the very beginning right through to the election.”
“<BR /> <BR />As we all know, an international expert has been invited to study our health service and, no doubt, he will come forward with proposals that he hopes, and many of us will hope, that all the political parties can sign up to. Hopefully, that will be a dramatic opportunity for us to ensure that we are consistently in the business of improving our health service. That is a major issue. <BR /> <BR />Conor Murphy and Pam Cameron mentioned the issue of how outcomes can help communities, particularly people who are suffering marginalisation and disadvantage. That is very important. That outcome is about helping and caring for the most vulnerable in our society and ensuring that provision is adequate to meet their needs, but it is also about giving people the opportunity and means to help themselves.”
“Of course, the Ulster Unionist Party went into the general election of 2010 supporting the Conservatives who took those decisions, and it is quite rich, in my opinion, to try to blame the Executive for the difficulties that were presented to us by the dramatic cut to our block grant. <BR /> <BR />Christopher Stalford went on to talk about a very important issue, which is how poverty affects communities. All of us recognise that we need to improve the health of everyone and ensure that people have the best opportunity to live longer, including people in Sandy Row and, indeed, many other areas. Healthy lives are an obvious outcome for inclusion in the Programme for Government. There will be increasing demands on our health system, and the implications for our public finances make this one of the biggest challenges facing the Executive.”
“If the party had been returned with enough MLAs to have three, or even two, Members in the Executive as Ministers, it would have gone through the door and into the Executive like a rocket. The leader did not do that because the election did not turn out as he thought it would. That was the only reason why the Ulster Unionists did not come into the Executive. <BR /> <BR />He also said that, from 2011 to 2016, the Executive did not deliver, but he totally ignored the fact that many of the difficulties presented to the Executive were mostly of an economic nature in relation to the massive cuts inflicted on our Executive by a Tory-led Administration in London. That had a very dramatic effect on our Departments' ability to deliver, including the Department for Regional Development, which the Ulster Unionist Party held.”
“The discussion on the debate began with the leader of the Ulster Unionist Party, who declared himself proud not to have been involved in the Programme for Government process. He was not because he left the Government last year. Instead of standing with the rest of us to face down those still involved in criminality in our society, he took the coward's way out and took his party out of the Executive. He went on to say that there were two tests that they applied to whether or not they would be in government on this occasion. Both tests have no credibility whatsoever, in my eyes. <BR /> <BR />In my view, the reason why the Ulster Unionist Party did not come into government was because of the election results. It had absolutely nothing to do with the Programme for Government.”
“Ministers and their senior officials will want to use this period to take every opportunity to meet stakeholders and potential delivery partners from all sectors to discuss and agree on the roles that they might be able to play in achieving our common goal. <BR /> <BR />I turn to some of the comments that were made. I took a careful note of most of what Members said. Obviously, given the time, I will not be able to cover everything.”
“It is a draft Programme for Government framework and, as the name suggests, a structure for carrying more detailed programmes, strategies, actions and plans. As an Executive, we are committed to improving public services, investing in our schools, hospitals and roads and protecting the most vulnerable, and that is against a backdrop of increasing pressure on public finances. <BR /> <BR />As an Executive, we need to be more creative and more joined-up if we are to deliver for all of the people. The new approach to developing a Programme for Government will allow the Executive to rise to those challenges. Over the next three months, the Executive will formulate the work programmes that they believe will deliver the outcomes contained in the framework. However, this will not be done in isolation.”
“We will also have a better picture of the things that we need to do — the things that will make a real difference — so that we can take the important actions for those whom we should be working with and supporting. <BR /> <BR />By adopting an outcomes-based approach to the Programme for Government, the Executive have made some significant statements of intent and ambition. It sets the bar at a high level and commits the Executive to taking on the most difficult challenges facing our society. If something can make a difference to our societal well-being, it will be taken on. Where evidence demonstrates that efforts are not making a difference, we will be quick to alter course and redirect resources to more meaningful effect. <BR /> <BR />The document that we are debating today has been agreed by the Executive, but it is just the beginning.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. I have listened carefully to what has been an interesting and, not too many times, passionate debate. I am pleased by the support shown for the Executive's Programme for Government framework approach. As the First Minister said in her opening remarks, the approach and style of the next Programme for Government will be different. That is not to say that previous Administrations were wrong to do what they did or that their actions and strategies were misguided; much of the work started previously will continue and, I have no doubt, find a place under the new Programme for Government. However, the difference this time is that we will have a much clearer idea of what we want to achieve and be in a better position to tell what is working and what is not.”
“I select the Assembly and Executive Review Committee and nominate Ms Michaela Boyle as its Deputy Chair.”
“I select the Audit Committee and Declan McAleer as its Chair.”
“I select Standards and Privileges and propose Cathal Boylan as Chair of that Committee.”
“I select the Committee for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs and nominate Declan Kearney as Deputy Chair.”
“It is what? Is it gone? Apologies. Can I have an adjournment for a few minutes, please?”
“I select the Committee for the Economy, and the vice Chair will be Alex Maskey.”
“I select the Committee for Communities and Michelle Gildernew as the Deputy Chair.”
“I select the Committee for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs and propose Linda Dillon as the Chairperson of that Committee.”
“Thank you, Mr Speaker. I select the Committee for Education and nominate Barry McElduff as the Chairperson.”
“Thank you, Mr Speaker. I select the Committee for the Economy and nominate Conor Murphy as the Chair.”
“I select the Department of Health and nominate Michelle O'Neill as the new Minister of Health.”
“I select the Department for Infrastructure, and I nominate Chris Hazzard as the Minister for that Department.”
“I would like to choose the Department of Finance and appoint Máirtín Ó Muilleoir as our new Minister of Finance.”
“I have no doubt whatsoever that she will enjoy the full support of all our ministerial colleagues appointed in this sitting of the Assembly. She is a very progressive young woman and is obviously highly political. She certainly enjoyed the support of her constituents in the Assembly election. We have every confidence in her ability to do the job, and it gives me great pleasure to nominate her as our new Minister of Justice.”
“There ensued other discussions between the First Minister and me with a view to finding a Justice Minister and a candidate for the position whom we had confidence in to take on what is a very onerous and challenging responsibility. <BR /> <BR />Claire came into the House, as we all know, after the sad occurrence of the death of David McClarty. She has been in the House for several years, and we have been very impressed by her performance. We had that conversation with her initially and a number of conversations since, and she has expressed herself very determined to do the job in order to ensure that our society continues to move forward and to assist us in putting a Government together. She can be assured of the First Minister's and my full support.”
“With your permission, Mr Speaker, I would like to nominate — it gives me great pleasure to do so — Claire Sugden as our new Minister of Justice. <BR /> <BR />Many in the House will know that, over the last number of weeks, the First Minister and I have been charged with the responsibility of putting an Executive together. We made clear from the very outset our determination to do so. There was a lot of discussion in that process about who would be Minister of Justice, and it is no secret that the First Minister and I offered the position to the Alliance Party. Sadly, the Alliance Party turned that offer down. Our thoughts then turned to who would be Minister of Justice. We recognised that, unless we had a Minister of Justice, we would not be able to put a Government together and, in all probability, an election would follow.”
“I did it with Ian Paisley, and Ian Paisley did it with me. Queen Elizabeth and I had all sorts of reasons not to meet each other, but we rose above it in the interests of trying to show people that reconciliation was achievable. We need reconciliation in our society, so let us all go forward together. We are all human beings, and we all represent people. People out there depend on us, and we have a duty and a responsibility to live up to their expectations. <BR /> <BR />As my final comment, I pledge today to work with our unionist colleagues in a positive, responsible and constructive spirit to build a better future for everyone.”
“It was a very dishonest approach, in my opinion, because nowhere did I hear in the criticisms of the Executive any criticism of the economic policies being pursued by a Conservative Administration in London which were detrimentally affecting our ability as elected politicians here to deliver for all of our people, whether they live in east Belfast, west Belfast, the Bogside or Portadown. <BR /> <BR />This is an opportunity for all of us to move forward. Ideologically, we are different from the unionists. There is nothing wrong with that; everybody is entitled to their position. Allegiance-wise, we are completely different, but I come from that school of thought that fervently believes that we have the ability to work together. Not only can we build working relationships, but we can build friendships that will last until the day we die.”
“I want us to stand up for those who are discriminated against. I want us to stand up for the marginalised, for the poor and for those who feel that they are not being treated fairly. I want to stand up alongside ministerial colleagues to deliver on tackling social deprivation and providing much-needed employment for the people whom we represent. <BR /> <BR />All of that represents a huge challenge to us, because one of the great difficulties that we faced, particularly during the last term of the Assembly, was the austerity agenda being imposed on us by a Conservative Government in London — a Government that cut billions out of our block grant. Of course, during the last term of the Assembly, opportunities were taken by opportunistic politicians to blame the Executive and the Assembly for that.”
“I am a very proud, unapologetic Irish republican and my politics are green, white and orange because I do believe in bringing the green and the orange together, with the white of peace in the middle. I do think that that is absolutely achievable at some stage in the future. I absolutely respect those people on the other side of the House who are red, white and blue. The challenge for us, and the challenge for Arlene and me and for other Ministers, is for us to continue with the good start and to recognise the importance of working together, building new relationships, putting the past three years into the dustbin of history and moving on to deliver for the people whom we represent. <BR /> <BR />I want to live in a society that is diverse — our society is diverse — and I want that to be an inclusive society.”
“She and I, and our ministerial colleagues when they are appointed, will have a huge responsibility to move forward to continue to deliver on the Fresh Start Agreement, which is now over six months old. It has been a good start, but there is more work to be done, not least putting the final piece of the jigsaw in place in relation to victims and how we deal with the past. I earnestly hope, in the aftermath of putting together the Programme for Government and appointing Ministers, that a way forward can be found to meet the needs of victims — all victims — in our discussions with the Secretary of State. <BR /> <BR />There was a lot of talk during the course of the election about colours, and who was what colour and who was not — orange and green, and red, white and blue.”
“First of all, heartiest congratulations to every one of the Members of the House who have been returned as a result of the recent election. I want to congratulate you on your appointment as the new Speaker. The widespread support in the Assembly for your appointment is, I think, testimony to the belief in the House that you will follow in the footsteps of William Hay and Mitchel McLaughlin and be a Speaker that we can be proud of. <BR /> <BR />I want to thank Jennifer, my friend and colleague, for the nomination. I want to thank my party. I pay tribute to the 27 other members of my party who were elected in the election and thank, wholeheartedly, everyone in the constituencies who voted for Sinn Féin. <BR /> <BR />I want to congratulate Arlene on her appointment as First Minister.”
“I confirm that I am willing to take up the office of deputy First Minister, and I affirm the terms of the Pledge of Office as set out in schedule 4 to the Northern Ireland Act 1998.”
“I have no hesitation whatsoever. I am absolutely delighted to propose Caitríona Ruane, my friend and Member for South Down, as the new Principal Deputy Speaker. Further to my comments earlier regarding her vast experience in the House, her experience as a Minister, her work as a Chief Whip and her work with colleagues in the Assembly across the board, she is eminently suited for this position. She is a very strong advocate for women. I think that we all look forward to you having a great term as Speaker — we wish you every success in the future — but we look forward, in the next term of the Assembly, for the first time in the House since Eileen Bell, to having a woman Speaker.”
“With your permission, Mr Speaker, I wish to nominate the Deputy Speaker Caitríona Ruane, Member for South Down, as Principal Deputy Speaker.”
“It is also a very important issue for all the parties here given that we have seen increased numbers coming into the Assembly as a result of the election. I pay tribute to the work that Caitríona has done and to the women from other parties who worked with her to ensure that we continue to forge positive working relationships and, indeed, friendships, which I believe are very important. I have no hesitation whatsoever in nominating Caitríona for this important post.”
“I have no hesitation whatsoever in nominating my friend and colleague, Caitríona Ruane the Member for South Down. She is one of our most experienced MLAs, a former Minister and a Chief Whip, who clearly demonstrated the ability to work with Members from other parties in a very positive and constructive way. It was heart-warming to see, during her stewardship of that position, the way in which she and others interacted, and genuine friendships, I think, were forged. <BR /> <BR />Gender is a very important issue for my party, Sinn Féin.”
“With your permission, Mr Speaker, I nominate the Member for South Down Caitríona Ruane.”
“<BR /> <BR />I have no difficulty whatsoever in supporting Robin Newton as the new Speaker of the Assembly. I think he will follow the practice of William Hay and yourself and will recognise his duties and responsibilities to everybody in the House to ensure that there is fairness and that no one can leave the House and say that the office was demeaned in any way by a partisan approach. That certainly did not happen with William Hay, it did not happen with you and I have every confidence that it will not happen with Robin either. I wish him well.”